25 weeks and counting...

Tomorrow will be 25 weeks, and we are entering the stage of viability. This is a big deal with twins since so many come early, and we feel better with every day that passes. I'm sure the Ensure Steve makes me drink, and my time at home, on the couch, helps keep the babies in, and provides them much needed nutrients.

We went back to the perinatologist this afternoon for another ultrasound to check the babies for growth. Overall, things were really good! The fluid around each baby was good, and the membrane between the babies is still intact. Also, pre-term labor is still not a big concern right now - yea! They also took measurements of the babies. Baby A is estimated to weigh 1 lb 9 oz, which is the 50th percentile for twin babies at this stage - pretty good! Baby B is estimated to weigh 1 lb 4 oz, which is in the 10th percentile for twin babies at this stage. The growth discordance between the two babies is 19%. We were pretty pleased with all of this information, and we expect Baby B to stay small for the duration of my pregnancy as a result of the twin to twin syndrome.

However, Baby B being in the 10th percentile and the growth discordance of 19% puts us on the edge of concern. The doctors get concerned when babies fall below the 10th percentile, and growth discordance is above 20%. So, we are not quite out of the woods yet. There is a small chance that the twin to twin syndrome was not 100% corrected which could cause growth restrictions of Baby B. On the other hand, Baby B might just not have had enough time to catch up yet. So, the doctor wants to take another look next week.

On a fun note - Steve got an early Father's Day present. Baby B was pretty active Friday night, and Steve got to feel some pretty strong kicks for the first time. We've been waiting a long time to feel significant movement so it was a lot of fun to feel such strong kicks. It also gave us encouragement that the babies are growing bigger and getting stronger!

My bed rest continues to go well. I retract what I said about TV being pretty good. I found out, after my first week on the couch, that episodes are repeated within a very short time! But I have improved my knitting skills, and we continue to be well fed by our friends and family (thank you!). We've had lots of visitors which really helps to pass the time. With any luck, the next 2 months will pass so quickly that I won't get everything done that I want to get done. I feel like I've become quite the procrastinator; always thinking that I have plenty of time before the babies come : ) I've also gotten pretty good at taking naps - me and the dogs snoozing in the living room!